Welcome to my review of “How to Update” Blackmagic Pocket’s Firmware. I have written this review for the latest 4K/6K Blackmagic Pocket Cameras. You can even watch my video for a better understanding.
I for one crave these Pocket Cinema Cameras. They cater to all the amazing features that can help me with my vlogs on YouTube. The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Cameras have similar features as found in the commonly used, and not to say, but pretty expensive digital cameras. They capture the view deeply with the colors, giving a high-quality image detail.
» Read Also: BMPCC6K vs. BMPCC4K (Why the 4K is better)
Its dynamic range awes me by giving me the brightest of the best when needed, and if the theme demands something darker or deeper in highlights, it doesn’t disappoint at all.
So apparently, I for one found the feature film-like experience with these pocket cameras, and the production levels on this thing are not short of any other quality camera work.
The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera has a 5-inch touchscreen. This is an aspect that helps in making easy frame shots with accurate focus.
The touchscreen is large and bright and can be carried around very easily. Finally, the camera can be set up at almost 30 feet away as well, thanks to the Bluetooth feature. The feature provides full control when it comes to the positioning of the camera.
The raw 6K video files are enormous. To edit and render them, you’ll need a PC or Mac with adequate storage space and processing power to handle large, cumbersome videos. If your only computer is a Chromebook or an old iMac, you’ll need to upgrade if you want to get the most out of Blackmagic.
3 Things you MUST Do Before BlackMagic Pocket Firmware Update
As I have mentioned earlier that be it a 4K or 6K camera, their settings are the same. Therefore, when I updated my firmware for both of these cameras, I followed the same process which I will share with you.
#1 Removing All Camera Accessories
Things that I started off with were ensuring that all the accessories of the camera are removed.
These accessories start from the very basic memory card, to all the lenses, all the accessories whether they are electrical accessories, speed boosters, smart adapters, modern glass with electronic connectors, SD cards, SSD cards, CFAST cards, and basically everything, leaving the body of the camera along with its internal battery.
Even I had to put back the cover on the camera lens. To sum up, I completely recommend and advocate that the camera is left in its normal state, and not connected to anything at this point in time when it needs an update on the firmware.
#2 Charging the Battery Completely
Next up, I made sure that the battery was charged completely. However, that cannot guarantee there aren’t any mess-ups. So I had to make sure that the power supplied to the camera was continuous. For this, the timing is very important. The timing means that there aren’t any power cuts.
Power cuts directly threaten the camera by affecting the update, and can also harm the camera, as it can literally be really costly on the pocket, and thus I wouldn’t want that scenario where I pay too much for an update.
So the update should be done in cases where there are zero chances of thunder or a lightning storm, even a wind storm, and if there is any maintenance taking place on the electrical grid. During these occasions or any other occasion when there are chances of a power cut or a load shedding, avoid performing the update.
#3 Saving Preset User Settings
Now that I have got that out of the way, another important thing that I did before beginning the updating process was saving the preset user settings. This is crucial. Updating the camera is more or the same as doing a factory reset. This means all of the previous settings will no longer be there, and the camera will have to be set from the scratch.
So, I imported all of the necessary preset user settings into the memory card.
It is a good drill to perform an export of your presets to a memory card as a contingency before performing an update on the firmware of the camera. You can restore your presets quickly by importing them from the memory card. Moreover, you should reset the horizon meter and recalibrate the motion sensor to help ensure it is accurately put back to its normal state after the update.
4 Steps To Update the BlackMagic Firmware
You will need:
- A functioning computer (Desktop/Laptop),
- A functioning USB port to make a connection that will be important for the communication between the computer and
- Camera.
- Wall adaptor, or any source which provides a continuous power supply to the camera.
Okay so with all these pre-update measures out of the way, now it’s time that I list down the steps to perform the update.
#1 Download The Software
Go to your web browser i.e. Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, or any for that matter. And open the Blackmagic Design support page.
Now you will be directed to the Support page of the Black Magic Design. Scroll down, and immediately you will see the “Select a Product Family” section. Over here, click on the “Professional Cameras” section.
Once this is done, scroll down a little further at the “Latest Downloads” section, “Blackmagic Camera 7.3 Update”. In this section, select your desired operating system i.e. whether your OS is Windows or Mac. Register the details etc., and click on the Download button. Now the software will be downloaded onto your system as a zip file. Now unzip the folder you downloaded.
#2 Install The Firmware
So now you click on the install option. Just know that the firmware isn’t camera-specific. The firmware is a general firmware package that makes an update on all of the cameras of Black Magic irrespective of the version. The firmware package will detect the camera version, and then decide whether an update is needed on that particular Blackmagic Camera version.
Now open the application where you will see the “Camera Setup” right in front of your screen. Now switch on your camera, and connect the USB of your camera with the computer where the firmware is installed. Just ensure there are no additional electronic accessories attached to your camera before it is plugged into the computer for firmware update.
#3 Update Your Camera
Once the camera is connected to your PC, then the software will detect your camera version i.e. whether it’s 4K or 6K. Once detected, it will be displayed, and show the “Update Now” button. Click on the “Update Now” button. The update will now begin.
Just ensure that the computer is powered on and that there is a continuous power supply during the update process, including no issues with the USB port from which the camera is connected to the computer.
A pop-up window will display the message “Update Complete”. This means the firmware update has been completed on the camera. Now close your software, unplug your camera, and power it ON.
#4 Return To Original Presets
Okay so now the first thing I would do is return the camera back to the original presets. I would put back the memory card in the camera. Now I would physically press the menu button shown at the back of the camera. From there, a dashboard screen would be displayed on my camera. Now at the dashboard screen, at the extreme top, there are menu options.
I would tap on the “PRESETS” option and then tap on the bottom end of the screen with the sideways arrow. That will open up the preset manager. Now I will tap the “Import Preset” button.
Once that is opened, I will tap on the respective card where my original preset settings were stored. Once that is tapped, the saved preset settings will show up on the camera screen. I will select them, and tap the “Import” button.
The camera will get back its original settings however there might be little bugs. I wouldn’t worry about them much, because once the camera is back up and running, those bugs will fade. These bugs won’t cause a problem, as the camera is adapting itself to the major firmware update.
To sum up!
With an ample amount of features, the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K/6K is very useful and competes with top-of-the-line digital cameras used for feature filmmaking and other commercial aspects. This camera is easy to use, updating the camera’s firmware is also a very easy process.
All you have to make sure though is to save all your previous settings in a memory card, avoid attaching any other accessories especially electrical accessories, and ensure that the memory card is also removed. During the camera update, the power supply should be continuous, therefore, I always carry out the camera update when the power supply is uninterrupted.
Here’s What You Will Get After The Software Update
Once you’ve updated the software, here are some of the enhanced features you will get in the Blackmagic 4K/6K camera:
- The brightness histogram is upgraded to an RGB histogram.
- Color channel clipping indicators are now included.
- False-color guide display is now available.
- Calibration options for LCD screens are now available.
- Autofocus and active lens control are improved.
- Enhanced visibility of focus peaking
- Importing LUTs and Presets now work properly.
Some Additional Features
- Support for Generation 5 color science has been added.
- Support for LCD screen dimming for power conservation has been added.
- Blackmagic RAW recording options Q1 and Q3 are now available.
What’s New In The Latest Update:
- Support for the Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 12K dual card recorder has been added.
- Color Science Additions to Blackmagic Generation 5 Support for DaVinci Wide Gamut and DaVinci Intermediate Gamma.
- Support for Blackmagic RAW clips captured by Blackmagic Video.
- Assist on Nikon Z 6II and Z 7II cameras has been added.
- Improvements in overall performance and stability.
With every new update, there are newer and better features in the firmware, and even this update will give you some really awesome attributes.
Bear in mind that the latest update will not facilitate beginners as it is an advanced update. Established photographers and videographers are more likely to get a hang of it sooner than those new in this field.
With this depth, you will be able to gauge if you need the new update or not. And I hope you liked my review of the Blackmagic Pocket 4K/6K Firmware update.
- Full-Size 4/3 Sensor/ 4096X2160 Resolution
- 4K Dki Video Recording At 60 Fps / 13 Stop Dynamic Range
- Carbon Fiber Composite Build / Black Magic Operating System
Last update on 2024-04-25 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
- Effective sensor size 23 10 x 12 99 millimeter (super 35)
- Shooting resolutions 6144 x 3456 (6K) up to 50 fps/ 6144 x 2560 (6K 2 4 1) up to 60 fps/ 5744 x 3024 (5 7K 17 9) up to 60...
- Maximum sensor frame rate Dependent on resolution and codec selected Project frame rates of 23 98 24 25 29 97 30 50 59 94 and...
Last update on 2024-04-25 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
